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Most of the attention devoted to Microsoft's Windows 8.1 update has focused on the Start button. But if you get past that controversial addition, there's plenty more to see. New and improved apps, Internet Explorer 11, tweaks to the onscreen keyboard, and a surprising change to File Explorer are all there too.

Microsoft has started taking pre-orders for the its desktop OS Windows 8.1 ahead of the global launch on 17 October.

As Microsoft has previously said, anyone running Windows 8 will automatically be upgraded to Windows 8.1 for free, while everyone else running earlier versions of the Microsoft OS will need to pay $119.99 or $199.99 for Pro.

The pre-order campaign, opened today in the US, is aimed chiefly at customers running Windows 7, since as Microsoft notes: "Windows 8.1 is not designed for installation on devices running Windows XP or Windows Vista."

Microsoft says that files can be transferred easily during the upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1, but as it outlined earlier this month, desktop apps including Office will need to be reinstalled after users have upgraded to the new OS.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is encouraging anyone running Windows Vista or XP to upgrade to Windows 8. Users that upgrade to Windows 8 now will "qualifiy" for the free upgrade to 8.1.

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